Duke. I know thee well; how doft thou, my good fellow ?

Clo. Truly, Sir, the better for my foes, and the worse for my friends.

Duke. Juft the contrary; the better for thy friends. Clo. No, Sir, the worse.

Duke. How can that be?

Clo. Marry, Sir, they praise me and make an ass of me; now, my foes tell me plainly, I am an ass: fo that by my foes, Sir, I profit in the knowledge of myfelf; and by my friends I am abused, so that, conclufions to be as kiffes, if your four negatives make your two affirmatives, why, then the worse for my friends, and the better for my foes.

Duke. Why, this is excellent.

Clo. By my troth, Sir, no; though it please you to be one of my friends.

Duke. Thou shalt not be the worse for me. There's gold.

So that conclufions to be as kiffes, -] Tho' it might be unreasonable to call our Poet's Fools and Knaves every where to account; yet, if we did, for the generality we fhould find them refponfible. But what monftrous abfurdity have we here? To fuppofe the text genuine, we must acknowledge it too wild to have any known meaning and what has known meaning, cannot be allowed to have either wit or humour. Befides, the Clown is affecting to argue ferioufly and in form. I imagine, the Poet

wrote:

no

So that, conclufion to be asked, is, i. e. So that the conclufion I have to demand of you is this, if your four, &c. He had in the pre

ceding words been inferring fome premises, and now comes to the conclufion very logically; you grant me, fays he, the premiffes; I now ask you to grant the conclufion. WARB.

Though I do not discover much ratiocination in the Clown's difcourfe, yet, methinks, I can find fome glimpse of a meaning in his obfervation, that the conclufion is as kiffes. For, fays he, if four negatives make two affirmatives, the conclufion is as kiffes: that is, the conclufion follows by the conjunction of two negatives, which, by kiffing and embracing, coalefce into one, and make an affirmative. What the four negatives are I do not know. I read, So that conclufions be as kiffes.

Cle.

Clo. But that it would be double-dealing, Sir, I would, you could make it another.

Duke. O, you give me ill counsel.

Clo. Put your grace in your pocket, Sir, for this once, and let your flesh and blood obey it.

Duke. Well, I will be so much a finner to be a double dealer: there's another.

Clo. Primo, fecundo, tertie, is a good Play, and the old faying is, the third pays for all: the triplet, Sir, is a good tripping measure; or the bells of St. Bennet, Sir, may put you in mind, one, two, three.

Duke. You can fool no more money out of me at this throw; if you will let your Lady know, I am here to speak with her, and bring her along with you, it may awake my bounty further.

Clo. Marry, Sir, lullaby to your bounty 'till I come again. I go, Sir; but I would not have you to think, that my defire of having is the fin of covetousness; but, as you fay, Sir, let your bounty take a nap, and I will awake it anon.

SCENE II.

Enter Antonio, and Officers.

[Exit Clown.

Vio. Here comes the man, Sir, that did refcue me.
Duke. That face of his I do remember well;

Yet when I faw it laft, it was befmear'd

As black as Vulcan, in the fmoak of war:
A bawbling veffel was he captain of,
For fhallow draught and buik unprizable,
With which fuch scathful graple did he make
With the most noble bottom of our fleet,

9 Bells of St. Bennet.] When in this play he mentioned the bed of Ware, he recollected that the scene was in Illyria, and ad

ded in England; but his fenfe of the fame impropriety could not reftrain him from the bells of St. Benner. Ff2

That

That very envy and the tongue of lofs

Cry'd fame and honour on him.-What's the matter? 1 Off. Orfino, this is that Antonio,

That took the Phonix and her fraught from Candy;
And this is he, that did the Tyger board,
When your young nephew Titus loft his leg:
Here in the streets, defperate of shame and state',
In private brabble did we apprehend him,

Vio. He did me kindness, Sir; drew on my fide:
But in conclufion put ftrange speech upon me,
I know not what 'twas, but diftraction.

Duke. Notable pirate, thou falt-water thief! What foolish boldness brought thee to their mercies, Whom thou in terms fo bloody, and fo dear Haft made thine enemies.

Ant. Orfino, noble Sir,

Be pleas'd that I fhake off thefe names you give me :
Antonio never yet was thief or pirate;

Though I confefs, on bafe and ground enough,
*Orfino's enemy. A witchcraft drew me hither:
That most ungrateful boy there, by your fide,
From the rude fea's enrag'd and foamy mouth
Did I redeem; a wreck paft hope he was :
His life I gave him, and did thereto add
My love without retention or restraint;
All his in dedication. For his fake,
Did I expofe myself, pure, for his love,
Into the danger of this adverse town;
Drew to defend him, when he was beset;
Where being apprehended, his false cunning,
Not meaning to partake with me in danger,
Taught him to face me out of his acquaintance;
And
grew a twenty years removed thing,

While one would wink: deny'd me mine own purse,
Which I had recommended to his ufe

Defperate of fame and flate] his condition, like a defperate Unattentive to his character or

man.

Not

ין

Not half an hour before.

Vio. How can this be?

Duke. When came he to this town?

Ant. To-day, my Lord; and for three months before,

No Interim, not a minute's vacancy,

Both day and night did we keep company.

Enter Olivia, and Attendants.

Duke. Here comes the countess; now heav'n walks on earth.

-But for thee, fellow, fellow, thy words are mad

nefs:.

Three months this youth hath tended upon me;'
But more of that anon-Take him afide-

Oli. What would my Lord, but that he may not
have,

Wherein Olivia may seem ferviceable?

-Cefario, you do not keep promife with me.

Vio. Madam!

Duke. Gracious Olivia,

Oli. What do you fay, Cefario?Good my
Lord.

Vio. My Lord would speak, my duty hushes me.
Oli. If it be aught to the old tune, my Lord,
It is as fat and fulfome to mine ear 2,

As howling after mufick.

Duke. Still fo cruel?

Oli. Still fo conftant, lord.

Duke. What, to perverfenefs? you uncivil Lady, To whofe ingrate and unaufpicious altars

My foul the faithfull'ft offerings has breath'd out,

That e'er devotion tender'd. What fhall I do?

Oli. Ev'n what it please my Lord, that fhall become him.

Duke. Why fhould I not, had I the heart to do't, 3 Like to th' Egyptian thief, at point of death Kill what I love? (a favage jealousy,

That fometimes favours nobly;) but hear me this; Since you to non-regardance caft my faith,

And that I partly know the inftrument,

That fcrews me from my true place in your favour:
Live you the marble-breafted tyrant ftill.

But this your minion, whom, I know, you love,
And whom, by heav'n, I swear, I tender dearly,
Him will I tear out of that cruel eye,

Where he fits crowned in his master's spight.
Come, boy, with me; my thoughts are ripe in mif-
chief:

I'll facrifice the lamb that I do love,

To fpight a raven's heart within a dove. [Duke going.

3 Why should I not, had I the
beart to do it,
Like to th' Egyptian Thief, at
point of Death

Kill what I love ?] In this Simile, a particular Story is prefuppos'd; which ought to be known, to fhew the Juftnefs and Propriety of the Comparifon. It is taken from Heliodorus's Æthiopics, to which our Author was indebted for the Allufion. This Egyptian Thief was Thya mis, who was a native of Memphis, and at the Head of a Band of Robbers. Theagenes and Chariclea falling into their Hands, Thyamis fell defperately in love with the Lady, and would have married her. Soon after, a tronger Body of Robbers coming down upon Thyamis's Party, he was in fuch Fears for his Mif

trefs, that he had her shut into a Cave with his Treasure. It was cuftomary with those Barbarians, when they defpair'd of their own Safety, firft to make away with those whom they held dear, and defired for Companions in the next Life. Thyamis, therefore, benetted round with his Enemies, raging with Love, Jealousy, and Anger, went to his Cave; and calling aloud in the Egyptian Tongue, fo foon as he heard himfelf anfwer'd towards the Cave's Mouth by a Grecian, making to the Perfon by the Direction of her Voice, he caught her

by the Hair with his left Hand, and (fuppofing her to be Chariclea) with his right Hand plung'd his Sword into her Breast.

THEOBALD.